Stewart Emery first presented the Actualizations workshop in 1975 and in the spirit of the work of Rogers and Maslow, he offered the interpretation of the word Actualizations as meaning “to make the spirit of the authentic self real through action in the world.”

This is in total alignment with Unity in Marin’s vision as a “spiritual community committed to authenticity and the expression of love and support for each other in living an awakened and enlightened life.”

Aliveness

The fundamental theme of this workshop is aliveness. The content will be an exploration of ideas pertaining to the process of authentic self-expression in the world and of living fully alive. These ideas will be balanced with experiential learning processes, contemplative learning meditations and individual coaching conversations in a group setting.

In the book Success Built to Last, Stewart and his co-authors presented the discoveries of interviews with several hundred of the world’s most enduringly successful people, and of responses from hundreds of people to a globally distributed Internet-based questionnaire exploring the notion of success. When the book launched, the authors did a tour of the talk shows, and were always asked what the single most important take away from all of this work was. It is this:

Enduringly successful people have figured out how to live a life that is a gift to the world doing what they love to do and doing it really well and mentoring others to live fully alive.

As Howard Thurman famously said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” The workshop addresses how you actually can do this.

“Life is a spiritual discipline. And we all live in an ashram that supports our spiritual growth. The name of the ashram is planet Earth. You cannot get off the path you are on, because the path is not narrow, it is spherical, it includes the whole planet. Anywhere you put your foot is where your path is. Even the idea that you are not on the path is part of the path.

Whatever is next for you, whatever you are struggling with right now, is the key to your liberation. Don’t resist your experience. Whatever it is, embrace it.” – Stewart Emery

Imagine that you live in just one room. Imagine that you spend your entire life in this room. With you in your room are all the people in your life, as well as the projects, relationships, and obligations that come along with them.

Imagine that this room only has one door, and this door only operates one way: in. There is no exit. Imagine that whoever comes through this door, and whatever they bring with them, cannot leave—ever. They will remain in your room—with you forever. So, who’s in your room?

It’s a simple enough question on the face of it, but one that has had a profound effect on the lives of those who have tried to answer it. Read and explore the stories of those who have changed their lives for the better as a result of answering the question, and putting into practice the concepts in this book.

As you read, please keep in mind, the exploration and discovery is not just about the people whose stories are included here. It is about you living the life of your dreams!